Silver Lining
by Chesire98
Summary: After getting raped, Naruto Uzumaki moves to a new town, to get away from the memories and start new. Who will be the one to coax her out of shell? Ratings may vary. Fem!Naru MultiplePairingsNaru Disclaimer: I SADLY do not own Naruto...
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Trauma

A lone girl walked the frosty streets of Konoha, eager for the warmth and comfort of her home. Lost in thought, she failed to register the presences of three males not visible to her in the shadows of the street lights.

"Hey, girrrliiie!"

At the sound of these deep, slurred words, Naruto sped up her pace. Hearing the footsteps behind her, she started to panic. The young blonde and her pursuers were the only people on the seemly abandoned road. Hoping to evade a confrontation, Naruto broke out in a run.

She stumbled immediately and her knees roughly hit the ground, causing her to scream out in pain. By now, her pursuers had caught up with the blonde, and her attempts of crawling away proved to be in vain. Two of her attackers moved to either side of her, each grabbing one of her arms. Naruto tried to struggle out of their tight grips, but even in their drunken state, the burly males proved to be too strong for the petite girl.

"Let me GO!"

"Now now, girlie," said the third attacker, who began unbuckling his belt with a malicious grin on his face.

"Somebody, anybody, please HELP ME!" Naruto screamed at the top of her lungs, tears now streaming down her frightened face.

"Let the fun begin!"  
A scream erupted from her throat that seemed to go on forever.

Naruto POV

I wanted to cry, but I couldn't. I didn't have the strength; I had used it all up, screaming the entire time. Of course, those… BASTARDS had covered my mouth, so they wouldn't be discovered in the middle of a crime.

I didn't care anymore. I felt dull. Moreover, I felt dirty: inside and out.

As I moved to accommodate my bruised and aching body, I noticed a light being reflected from inside my discarded jacket. Cell phone… right. I should probably call someone.

The next thing I know, I'm crawling to my jacket, cradling my dislocated shoulder. Taking my phone into my okay hand, I dial the first number on my speed dial.

"Kakashi speaking," answered a low, familiar voice.

'_Oh god'_ "Kaka-" was all I managed to get out before a sob fought its way out.

"Naruto! What's wrong? Where are you? Did something happen?"

"Help me," I whispered out, my voice still raw from screaming.

"Monument Lane" I tried to get out as loud as possible.

Black spots started dancing rapidly in front of my eyes, I became lightheaded. Then, I am pretty sure that I passed out.

I woke up in a too-bright white room, with my head feeling like it was about to explode. It was an all too familiar scene for me, and I hoped it would never happen again.

Trying to shift into a more comfortable position, I groaned. Every fiber in my body felt like it was on fire.

This was when I noticed the sleeping figure on the edge of my bed, a silver head of messy hair looking my way.

"Kakashi?" I rasped softly, my throat was dry and I didn't really want to wake him. God knows he has already spent way too much time worrying over my well-being. He deserved a little rest.

The sleeper stirred at the sound of my voice and raised his head with what was probably supposed to be a smile (but then I'd never know, seeing as there is a mask covering most of his face).

"How long was I out for?"

"Three days, hmm well… almost four," my guardian answered groggily.

'_Great! There goes the first half a week of my winter break…'_

"Naru, I know what you're thinking now, that this is a waste of winter break-" '_Can he read my mind or something?'_

"and no, I cannot read your mind, your face is just too easy to read. But I have some bad news."

'_What could possibly be worse?'_ I looked at him expectantly.

Kakashi gave me a serious look (again, it was hard to tell with the mask!).

"Your…injuries were so extensive that you will be in the hospital for the rest of the winter break. And you will be attending therapy while you're here, maybe also after you are released, if you so choose."

I didn't have much to say to this, other than I am definitely not continuing therapy after I get out of here. I hadn't needed it before; I definitely do not need it now. Instead, I asked for a glass of water.

Kakashi nodded and handed me a glass that had been sitting on the little table by my bed. As I reached for the water, his finger brushed mine the slightest bit. The contact made me flinch the slightest bit, but I covered it quickly and took the glass, emptying it quickly.

A silence overcame us. I didn't want to say anything, and was too tired for it anyway. I don't know why Kakashi wasn't talking. After about a minute, Kakashi swung his head towards me quickly, startling me slightly. His face was full of rage.

"Naru… I swear, if I ever, EVER catch those worthless bastards, I WILL rip them into pieces! Those fuckers!" he growled, almost shouting towards the end. I looked at him, surprised. So much emotion from Kakashi was a rarity, but I suppose I understood. If anyone touched him wrong, I'd be destroying the town looking for the attackers.

Kakashi closed his eyes and took a calming breath. When he opened them next, they were full of kindness.

"Naruto, I will always be here for you if you need me." He moved towards me with open arms, wanting to give me a reassuring hug. But, as soon as he put his arms around me, I broke out in sweat. I yelped and pushed him off me. My eyes teared up, but I refused to let them out. I had already hurt Kakashi enough, I wouldn't cry as well.

Kakashi gave me a look filled with confusion and pain, but in an instant it changed to understanding and unconditional love. He came as close as he dared, looking me in the eyes, forcing me to understand.

"Naru, it's alright, I understand. I'll wait until you're ready." At this kindness, my tears overflowed and I broke out into huge sobs.

"Kaka… Thank you…" I brought out in between sobs.

Kakashi shot me a smile (or so I would assume anyway). "That's what I'm here for after all".

He stood up, and told me he would go call for a nurse and tell her I was awake. Right before stepping out the door of my private room, he turned back to me and smiled.

Leaving me in the silence of my room, I was glad I had family like him.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you very much, those of you that have reviewed! Here is chapter 2

If any of you have suggestions, feel free to send me a message. I'll take them into consideration and see what I can do

This chapter is mainly a look back on what happened after the hospital. Chapter 3 will be the main start of the story, so hang in there for a bit :D

I'll try putting up the next chapter as soon as possible. Enjoy~~

Cheshire

* * *

Chapter 2: Recovery?

Roughly 8 months later

I sat in the new car, breathing in the leather smell. Kakashi sure was taking his time. It wasn't new for him to be late, but that didn't mean I had to like it.

Today was the first day of my sophomore year, at a new school, in a new town. I think it was understandable that- today of all days- I didn't want to be late. I sighed and sunk further into the cushy seat, thinking about how I had managed to make it here.

Shortly after I was released from the hospital, school had started up again. Same school, same classes, same teachers and friends… different me. I suddenly felt so out of place. This became especially apparent after I got a panic attack from my best friend Sakura giving me a hug, since she hadn't seen me the entire break. Truth be told, I didn't tell anyone where I was. I knew my friends were probably worried, but I didn't want to tell them. If I had told them I was in the hospital, I would have had to tell them WHY.

I had known Sakura for almost 10 years, having met in first grade, but I panicked anyway. As soon as her arms moved to close around me, I broke out in a sweat, started screaming and throwing my arms around, willing her to let me go. When she did, I saw the hurt and confusion in her face, but that quickly disappeared, only to be replaced by anger.

"Bitch."

She turned around and stalked off, the rest of my friends, who had been watching silently until now, following close behind. I spent the rest of the day in the nurse's office. And, when I came back to school the next day, I was alone. I chose to accept it as it was. As much as I loved and missed my friends, Sakura especially, I couldn't and wouldn't tell them why I acted the way I did. If I told them, they would pity me. I didn't want pity.

So I spent the rest of the school year, quietly, peaceful and alone, just going through the motions. Thank god Kakashi got that work offer in this other town, Konoha. This is where we were living now.

At home, things weren't so bad, but not so great either. Even though in the hospital, I had an attack around Kakashi, it seemed that my body slowly grew accustomed to his presence, and somewhere in the back of my mind something clicked. Like there was something telling me _'He's safe. He won't hurt you' _and even though I knew it in my heart, my mind took a bit to catch up. After three months of Kakashi tiptoeing around me in the house, I finally stopped getting panic attack when he touched me. It made me happy to see him smile when it happened the first time, and again the next, and the time after that.

Now, he gives me a small hug whenever he sees fit. I don't know if it's to get me used to more contact, or for him to reassure himself that I was getting better.

Some things at home though, weren't so great. I was frequently plagues by nightmare, mostly memories of the night I was….attacked. (I didn't like saying the "R" word. It made me uncomfortable.) I would wake up, sometimes screaming, and often drenched in sweat. As the time passed, the amount of nightmares that plagued me decreased. Sometimes though, even now, I wake up feeling dirty and weak, wanting to get the feel of their hands on me off my body.

_As if I wasn't already terrified enough, when I heard the sound of fabric ripping, I struggled against their strong holds even more. 'No no, please no' I thought in my head. Talking was useless, they couldn't hear me and wouldn't care._

_"Hold her down properly, will you? The bitch is struggling too much!"_

_Why wasn't there anyone around to help me? I tried moving around so that I could get my mouth free long enough to scream. The one who seemed to be the leader, and had been unbuckling his belt (a though I deliberately pushed out of my mind) seemed to notice what I was doing. His face hardened as he walked towards my left side. He motioned for the guy who had been holding me down from the left to give him my arm. I was trying to understand what he planned to do. As soon as he had a good grip on my arm, he __ripped__, ripped it right out of its socket._

_All I felt in that moment was white hot pain coursing through my arm, as I tried to cry out in agony._

That moment was usually when I woke up, but on very bad occasions, the dream would continue further. I dreaded those nights.

About a month before the school year ended, Kaka came up to me and told me he had been offered a new position in a city called Konoha. It was about a half hour drive away from Suna, where we were now, but Kakashi thought that moving might help me move past the trauma I had received. Not feeling like I was leaving good behind here, I had agreed quickly.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when I felt my shoulder being shaken. I looked to my left, and there was Kakashi, looking at me expectantly.

"Kaka! You're LATE!"

"I may have been, but now it's not me who's about to be late."

_'Huh?'_ I looked out of the window. The car was no longer parked in the driveway; instead, I was looking at a large, rather dreary looking, stone building. Somehow, I had managed to be so lost in thought; I hadn't noticed Kakashi arriving, much less the entire ride to school.

Now, I registered what Kakashi had said. Something about being late… I looked at the car dashboard. _'Shit'_ I had five minutes before the bell rang. Quickly, I shouldered my messenger bag, pushed open the car door and ran towards the building in front of me, calling out a rather hasty reply to Kakashi. He looked rather stunned at my sudden take-off, but was soon recovered and speeding off towards his new work place.

As I was running through the double glass doors that made the entrance to the building, I managed to catch a few words that were written on the wall right next to the door:

"Welcome to Konoha High."


	3. Chapter 3

Hello again!

So, I managed to get chapter 3 out rather quickly! and I think chapter 4 will follow shortly after. I just want to warn you guys: right now the chapters are coming up rather quickly, but that is ONLY because I am currently on a break. When my vacation is over, it might take a bit longer again for me to put up new chapters!

Also: just FYI, the next couple of chapters will be slightly related to each other. 3 is the beginning of the school day and the meeting between Naruto and her first possible pairing. 4 will be the continuation and second meeting between second possible pairing. 5 (and probably 6) will also follow this. From then on, the chapters should be their own again.

And just so there is no confusion: in these chapters, Naruto might seem kind of normal (like she hasn't been very very traumatized) but that is only because nobody in the new school (other than the principal, not that Naruto knows) knows what happened

Anyway, enjoy~~

Cheshire

* * *

Chapter 3: Welcome to Konoha High ~Part 1~

Naruto POV

Schedule in hand, I was running around frantically searching for room 125. The first bell giving the five minute warning had rung about two minutes ago, giving me only three minutes to find this apparently non-existent classroom. I had passed room 124 a minimum of five times already, but I just COULD NOT find 125… I did another run-through of the hallways I was in _'122, 123, 12—' _only to run straight into a person. Having been taken by surprise, I gracelessly fell on my butt with a loud _thump_.

The person I had run into had been facing away from me, but turned around at the sound of something hitting the floor. The boy- I now noticed- gave me a disinterested look, but at the same time offered me a hand up. (Since he had a pony tail, I originally thought he was a she…) Ignoring the hand, and my now sore butt, I got to my feet and examined the boy.

Apart from the bored look the boy still had, he was cute, very cute (not that I was noticing). He wore slightly baggy pants with chains hanging from them and a slightly tight green shirt that managed to show off his well-built muscles perfectly. It made me wonder if the boy knew the effect his shirt had. Probably not. The boy had stormy gray eyes and his ponytail made his head slightly resemble a pineapple… (I would never tell him that though). It did make me curious as to how long his hair actually was.

At the same time I had been checking him out, he seemed to be examining me. He gave away nothing, making me curious if he'd liked what he'd seen. This confused me, I had never been interested in what boys thought of me. Ever.

Noticing that one of us had yet to speak, I decided to break the silence.

"Sorry about running into you… I wasn't looking," I stammered out. I had started out at a normal volume, but had become quieter and quieter towards the end. I was still a bit shy and awkward. I had been ever since I came out of the hospital, other than around Kaka. Being around a complete stranger didn't help either.

"I'm…Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto. Do you know where room 125 is? I can't seem to find it anywhere."

"Troublesome…it's ok, I wasn't looking either. I'm Nara Shikamaru. The building layout is too troublesome in the beginning, so I'll show you to the classroom. It's one floor up," the boy –Shikamaru- replied. I don't know what it was with him and the word troublesome.

"Thank you!" I gave him a shy smile. I didn't notice, but Shikamaru's eyes widened just the slightest bit at that.

As we made our way up the stairs, I became curious.

"Are you in the same class as me, Shikamaru-san?"

"Don't bother with honorifics. They're too troublesome. Shikamaru or whatever is fine. And yes, I am."

"Hmmm… then: Shika!" The boy shot me a surprised look at this, but didn't voice any complaints. By now we were standing in front of a classroom, and I noted happily that it was indeed room 125. At this point I turned to Shika.

"Everything is troublesome for you, isn't it?" I gave him another small smile. The bell chose this moment to signal the beginning of the school day. I turned on my heel and stalked into the classroom, heading directly toward the teacher and ignoring any other students that might have been in the room.

Shikamaru POV

I knew I didn't have much time until class started, and that I still had a bit of walking ahead of me, but I still took my sweet time getting there. After all, I wouldn't be Nara Shikamaru if I wasn't fashionably late.

I wasn't too far from the staircase when I felt something hit my back. Directly after, I heard the _thump_ of something (or rather someone) hitting the floor. Just slightly curious, I turned around. I took in the girl that was so ungracefully sprawled on the floor and offered her my hand.

She ignored my hand and got up. I shrugged at this, when I suddenly felt her eyes on me. She was observing me, so I opted to do the same. The first thing I noticed was how SMALL she was. She didn't even reach up to my shoulders. The second thing was her hair. As far as hair went, it was pretty hair: long, about waist-length, slightly wavy, and blonde with a couple scattered red highlights. I wondered how it would feel to run my fingers through it, surprising myself with that thought. The blonde also had three horizontal scars adorning her cheeks. They reminded me of whiskers, and gave the girl a slightly foxy image. Her eyes, though, were probably her most stunning feature. They were damn blue and damn bright. It was almost too troublesome to look away, but I forced myself. I had stared at her enough.

By now, she had noticed the silence and was obviously feeling uncomfortable from it.

"Sorry about running into you… I wasn't looking." I noticed that she got very quiet towards the end. Was she shy? Or did I seem intimidating? Inwardly, I scoffed. I seriously doubted the latter.

"I'm…Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto. Do you know where room 125 is? I can't seem to find it anywhere."

Ah… so the blonde –Naruto- was new. It would explain her being so uncomfortable.

"Troublesome… it's ok. I wasn't looking either. I'm Nara Shikamaru. The building layout is too troublesome in the beginning, so I'll show you to the classroom. It's one floor up."

Naruto voiced a thank you and gave me a shy smile. At this, my stomach did a weird flip. _'What was that? This is too troublesome…' _

We were going up the stairs when Naruto spoke again.

"Are you in the same class as me, Shikamaru-san?"

"Don't bother with honorifics. They're too troublesome. Shikamaru or whatever is fine. And yes, I am.'

"Hmmm…then: Shika!" The shortened version of my name took me by surprise. The only other person that had ever freely called me that was my best friend Chouji, but I didn't mind Naruto calling me 'Shika' in the least.

We now stood in front of the classroom which had now been my homeroom two years in a row. Not that I minded. Changing classrooms and teachers was too troublesome, and I didn't mind Iruka. He wasn't as troublesome as some of the other teachers. As if reading my thoughts, the whiskered blonde in front of me spoke up.

"Everything is troublesome for you, isn't it?" Once again Naruto gave me a small smile, making my stomach do yet another flip. _'Troublesome'_.

I was just about to reply when the bell rang. I groaned in my mind, but Naruto didn't give me another chance to answer. She turned on her heel, making her hair swing around, and walked into the classroom towards Iruka-sensei. I sighed and made my way into the classroom. I took my normal seat next to Chouji, in the approximate middle of the room. I laid my head on my arms, getting ready to sleep. I shot the mysterious new blonde one more look before drifting off into a peaceful sleep.


End file.
